


Fifty Kisses

by Mai_Blade



Category: One Piece, Overlord - Maruyama Kugane & Related Fandoms, Toriko (Anime & Manga), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reader Exists, Established Relationship, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, I'll add more kissing tags as they occur, Kissing, Lots of kissing, Reader-Insert, Surprise Kissing, Underage Kissing, established relationship is only sometimes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-04-27 11:35:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14424570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mai_Blade/pseuds/Mai_Blade
Summary: You're just gonna kiss your man, okay?Or maybe get kissed, who knows.Most Recent: Izuku Midoriya (MHA)





	1. Belated Kiss [Teppei_Toriko]

You read the last line of a chapter in the novel you were currently reading and lowered the book, yawning. Slipping your thumb from between the pages you let the book snap shut as you looked at the clock. It was almost midnight. You yawned again and set the book down on your nightstand, turned off the lamp and slid down under the covers, ready to fall asleep.

You had a dental checkup tomorrow, on the nineteenth. Yeah, tomorrow afternoon on the nineteenth of Ju–

You bolted upright in a panic, turning the lamp back on and grabbing your digital clock, staring frantically at the date to the side of the time. Your stomach clenched in agony. Aaahh, it was June eighteenth! It was _Teppei's birthday_ and you'd _completely forgotten_!

The clock reached the midnight hour and suddenly it was June nineteenth.

Barely suppressing a painful groan, you set down the clock to turn and stare at the sleeping man beside you in shame and gut-wrenching horror at your own forgetfulness. _Now_ you understood why he'd been giving you weird looks all day. He had been waiting for you to say or do something, because what kind of girlfriend forgot her boyfriend's birthday? Hell, he remembered _yours!_

Feeling guilt settle heavily in your stomach, you leaned over and carefully observed your sleeping lover. His green hair was free of his everyday pompadour and lay in disarray. He looked peaceful in his slumber, his breathing deep and even. Had he been disappointed you hadn't said anything, nothing at all about his birthday? Tears filled your eyes as an ache filled your chest. 

Teppei's eyes fluttered open as something warm pressed against his cheek, followed by several wet droplets. His amethyst eyes focused on you and he saw that you were crying. He leaned closer immediately, suddenly wide awake as his hand came up to cradle the side of your face.

"What's wrong?"

You closed your eyes at his concerned voice, more tears escaping as you apologized. "I'm sorry. Happy belated birthday, Teppei."

Teppei didn't even glance at the clock. He just sighed in relief, letting his eyes close as the worry that had suddenly clawed at him let go. Nothing serious then. Good. He opened his eyes and smiled at you. "Thanks, but you don't need to cry over it. I'm not mad. And guess what? I have a birthday every year!" He pressed his forehead against yours, lowering his voice to a reassuring tone. "Unless the world ends, I'll have a birthday every year, and so will you, and we'll have lots of birthdays together. We'll have a bunch of chances to make big deals about them, or let them pass without fanfare, or forget and then be forgiven or forgive when forgotten by mistake." He deliberately made no mention of any lethal injuries that were possible in his line of work. That would only make you feel worse. Instead he continued in a happy, teasing tone. "Keep that in mind if I ever forget your birthday by mistake, huh?"

You weren't entirely sure you felt better after his little rant but you tried smiling anyway. "Okay. But still, I'm sor—"

Teppei cut you off with a kiss, gently pressing his lips against yours. The familiar warmth of it soothed and eased your heavy guilt. You heard his unsaid words as clearly as you had heard his spoken ones.

There was nothing needing forgiving.

* * *

_The most eloquent silence; that of two mouths meeting in a kiss._

_~Unknown_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a challenge I didn't finish on Luna but will give my best shot at completing this year.
> 
> First is Teppei from Toriko, then Van Augur from One Piece and after that I have plans for Izuku from MHA/BnHA.
> 
> Rated just in case.


	2. Fated Kiss [Van Augur_One Piece]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Reader believes in fate, however reluctantly that might be.

Your home island had two seasons: autumn and winter. The autumn season was the longest, taking up three fourths of the year. It was more than enough time to plant and harvest crops. The leaves were never green, and grew yellow before later turning orange then red and then brown. The ground was always littered with colorful fallen leaves when it wasn’t smothered in pure white snow. 

The winters were short but brutal and tended to set in without much warning. The first snowfall was always a snowstorm that dropped anywhere from several inches to several feet of snow. The days before the first snowstorm were always cold and cloudy and one never knew which cold day was the last day of autumn. Few wandered far from home then, and those that did either ended up stranded at someone else’s for the winter or died. This was the Grand Line and only fools tempted fate.

You liked your home island. It was just a little special, having two seasons instead of one, so the scenery could be depended on to change at least for a while. Early autumn was fun, middle autumn was busy, and late autumn was a wild guessing game. The winters were brutally cold but mercifully short, and dangerously beautiful besides. Yes, you were content in your small world and adventure beyond the horizon was not a siren’s call that afflicted you, unlike your younger brothers who had already gone.

The crops had been harvested and the Harvest Festival had come and gone, but the cold autumn days had yet to arrive. You were on a walk to the fishing village on the coast to purchase extra salted fish because hey, why not? The woods were mostly bare but a few leaves dangled in the breeze. You were enjoying the crunching noises of the leaves being tread beneath your feet while you stared up at the clouds in the sky, so you had no one but yourself to blame when your foot caught on a branch and you proceeded to trip. Oh, you tried valiantly to regain your footing, wind milling your arms wildly as you stumbled forward, but gravity had it in for you. You fell face-first towards the ground before your arm shot out automatically and you suddenly found yourself doing a one-armed cartwheel. You were so shocked that your arm buckled and you suddenly found yourself tumbling down the hill you had just crested.

The world spun over and over and the earth and sky trading places in rapid succession as you quickly grew dizzy. On one hand this was kind of fun, but on the other hand it was making you _nauseous_. This stupid hill never seemed to long before! (Okay, that was lie; this stupid hill always seemed longer when you were climbing up from this side while hauling something back home.)

The ground finally leveled out and you rolled to a stop, facedown and covered in dirt while leaves clung to your now messy and tangled hair. You let out a singular cry encompassing all your pain and bewilderment.

“Ow.”

“This is surely fate at work.”

You paused in mentally categorizing your limbs and rolled over onto your back to stare up at the speaker. Your first reaction was to flinch, to try to sink into the ground and disappear because _oh my god why does anyone need to be this tall?_ Your second reaction was to blurt out a simple inquiry.

“What?”

The tall man continued staring down at you without bothering to even kneel to make this less awkward. “Out of all the days you could have rolled to a stop in this place, you did so on the one day I am here on this island. Out of all the time I have been alive, only you have come to a stop at my feet. This is fate.”

“No,” you rebutted, holding up a finger that slowly slid sideways as your body insisted on turning despite having come to a stop. “This is gravity being an arse.”

You paused, letting your finger lower and fall back to the ground. “…I’d stand up but I’m pretty sure I’d just fall over again.”

“Rolling a great distance always leaves an after-effect.” The tall man finally deigned to lower himself, taking a seat where he had just stood.

You stared up at him and frowned. “You’re still stupidly tall even when sitting.”

He stared down at you.

You swallowed nervously. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“I was fated to be tall,” he said simply. “Just as we were fated to meet this day in this manner.”

You folded your arms. “So it was fate to meet you in such an embarrassing way?”

“Yes,” he replied.

Silence descended and you wondered why the hell more salted-fish had sounded like such a good idea. In fact, the more you thought about it, the more you wondered if this _wasn’t_ fate. It was late autumn, but the cold days hadn’t set in. You didn’t need more salted-fish but you had felt the need to get more anyway. The branch that tripped you shouldn’t have been enough to send you rolling down the other side of the hill. And what events had brought this man to be here at this exact moment?

Didn’t this whole thing just reek of inexorable fate?

The man mused thoughtfully, staring up at the sky, “Hmm, today is the day of my birth, as well.”

You sighed and bowed to the inevitable. “Yes, this was fate for sure.”

Seeing that you had accepted the workings of fate, he introduced himself. “My name is Van Augur.”

You gestured to yourself and told him your name. You sat up and turned to face him, pulling leaves out of your hair and vainly tried to make yourself presentable but there were too many ninja leaves and stubborn dirt patches for you to be fully successful. Clearing your throat nervously, you craned your neck to meet Augur’s eyes. One was hidden behind a weird bullseye lens that was not making this any easier, but you decided that there were worse ways to meet men.

You bowed. “Please be kind to me.” Because as long as pirates (or corrupt Marines) weren’t pillaging the island or your village you could take care of yourself just fine, thank you very much.

He nodded in return. “Be faithful in my absence.”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes, because of course the stranger to the island wouldn’t be staying. Then again, you’d get sick of him pretty quick if he stuck around so this was probably better.

You both sat there in silence until a leaf struck you in the middle of your forehead. You reached up and pulled it off to twirl it. “Well,” you squeaked. You coughed and tried again, “Well, we don’t have much time before winter sets in. I’m guessing you’d prefer to be gone before you’re trapped here for a quarter of the year?”

You glanced up at him and he nodded. Steeling your nerves, you stood up and moved closer to the seated man. “Before you stand up and your face gets completely out of my reach…” You boldly planted yourself before him and reached your arms up to wrap around his neck, standing on your goddamn _tippy toes_. “I’m not having my first kiss behind a closed door. I want it here under the sky.”

He didn’t protest or rebuff your request. No, Augur simply lowered his face so his lips could meet yours and _sweet Oda his lips were warm_. You twitched slightly when his (freaking massive) hand cupped the back of your head and his other arm wrapped around you. Blood rushed to your face and made it glow when you finally pulled back and stared at him in wonder.

His expression hadn’t changed, he looked as bored as ever, but your heart was hammering in your chest and your already colorful world seemed to gain several more indescribable hues.

“Happy birthday, Augur,” you breathed. A wide smile spread across your face and you beamed in happiness at your new, strange man. 

“I’m glad you were born.”

* * *

_That's life — whichever way you turn, fate sticks out its foot to trip you._

_~Martin Goldsmith & Martin Mooney, Detour, 1945, spoken by the character Al Roberts_


	3. Indirect and Undefined Kisses [Izuku Midoriya_MHA_BnHA]

Izuku has been running around like a mad man for the past couple of months and he’s looked like death warmed over for about as long. You’re worried about him because his skinny body isn’t meant to handle the abuse that’s no doubt being piled on it. Bakugou would normally be the prime suspect for Izuku’s new state of being but he seems to have backed off from Izuku for the most part since the sludge monster incident, so you have no idea what’s come over the green-haired boy.

Not that you know your fellow apartment neighbor all that well, but that was your own fault since you didn’t reach out to him. You heard from your mom years ago how he was Quirkless, but that wasn’t why you didn’t talk to him much. It was just that he was a boy and two years younger than you, so you didn’t have much in common. The most that could be said was that you were both amenable to each other and that you knew each other’s names.

Sighing, you wondered why you were even interested in knowing what he was doing in the first place. He only caught your attention recently because you often saw him running, a thing he hadn’t done before and certainly not with the dedication he was displaying now. Then again, it probably wasn’t anything big. High school was just around the corner for him so he probably just wanted to make a change and prepare for it. That’s what you did.

Spying the green-haired teenager at one of the neighborhood’s vending machines, you brightened and called out. “Midoriya-kun!”

He turned and saw you waving. He smiled back and returned the gesture. He lowered his hand as you neared. “Good evening, (Last Name)-chan. Are you on your way somewhere? If so, please be careful. It’s getting late.”

You shook your head. “No, I’m not going anywhere special. I just came to get a drink and this is the closest vending machine.”

He gestured. “Please, you first.”

“Thanks,” you replied, putting in the coins for your favorite flavored water. You stepped back as Izuku went to make his purchase. You were sipping from the bottle and watching as he stood there pressing buttons.

“…Ah,” he finally said. “It’s sold out of water.”

“It was rather hot today,” you mused. “Autumn is just around the corner but summer was definitely hanging in there today.” You saw his shoulders slump. “Want some of mine? It’s flavored, though.”

He looked back at you, torn between refusing and not wanting to suffer thirst until he got home. Sodas and stuff were off of his diet plan, but surely some flavored water wasn’t too bad, right? Finally, swallowing with a dry throat, he nodded. “I-if you don’t mind too much…”

You smiled and held it out to him. He took it and stared _hard_ at the lip of bottle for several long moments muttering under his breath before finally going for it by taking a gulp.

You beamed and clapped your hands. “And that’s an indirect kiss!”

Izuku choked and spat up some of the water. You cackled loudly, holding your stomach as he wheezed and coughed while trying to sputter ‘what’. Patting his back while still laughing, you wordlessly tried to help him. Still coughing, he finally decided to take another gulp and that helped ease his cough.

“Sorry, sorry, that was mean of me.” You chuckled, wiping away tears from your eyes. You bit your lower lip to keep from laughing at his betrayed expression. “Sorry, Midoriya-kun.”

Finally, the green-haired boy shook his head and wiped his mouth. “I-It’s okay, (Last Name)-chan. I’m used to being teased.”

Oh, ouch, stab you right in the heart! You winced at his admission. As he pulled himself together, you glanced around and didn’t see anyone else around. Confident there were no witnesses, you reached out with one hand to make Izuku look at you.

“Midoriya-kun, really, I am sorry. It’s not okay for me to do things like that. It was mean of me, and I shouldn’t have done it.” You smiled tenderly at him. “You deserve better.”

He blinked rapidly for a moment before smiling. “It’s fine, (Last Name)-chan. You don’t need to apologize.”

You rolled your eyes and dropped your hand, huffing as you folded your arms and took a sideways stance from him. “I already did, Midoriya-kun.”

“Oh, yeah, you did.” He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. “Uh, thank you.”

You glanced at him from your standoffish position and melted at the cute awkwardness that radiated off him. You gave a short laugh and faced him again. “You’re too cute for words, you know that?”

He blushed again and flailed his free hand. “I’m not cute!”

You giggled and replied in English. “ _You actually are, Midoriya-kun._ ”

Izuku blinked, confused.

Taking advantage of his momentary stillness, you leaned forward and placed a peck on his cheek before turning and leaving with a wave of your hand. “Later!”

( _his whole face turned red with warmth and he nearly dropped the bottle of flavored water from his hand_ )

You didn’t look back once the whole way to your family’s apartment. Entering the apartment, you called out greetings before making your way to your room. Closing the bedroom door behind you, you spared a moment to stare up at the ceiling.

Before sliding down to your butt and clutching your knees in mortification as your face burned with embarrassment. Why did you do that? _Why did you do that?_

Groaning, you leaned your head down and wondered how you were ever going to face him again.

 _‘He’s fifteen. I’m_ seventeen _. What the hell, me!?’_

Seriously, though: why did you do that?

 

Izuku went home in a daze and only his recent nigh constant exhaustion kept his mom from asking if something happened. After dinner he retreated to his room, fell down on his bed and silently freaked out in equal parts happiness, panic, and confusion.

_‘A girl kissed me!’_

He closed his eyes and cradled the side of his face.

What did that mean?

* * *

_I had to do that. At least once._

_~Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nah, not the Reader from The Greatest Healer. I don't even know what this one's Quirk is. :/
> 
> EDIT: Changed the chapter title, but it still only counts as 'one kiss' of the fifty.


	4. Fingers Kissed [Demiurge_Overlord]

Adjusting to life in this new world in your new permanent form was going about as well as it could. Thankfully, with Albedo and Demiurge to handle most of the administration of Nazarick, you didn’t have to worry about security or the like. With Pandora’s Actor working in tandem with them, you didn’t have to worry too much about finances either. You did, however, read every single report they sent to you, regardless of how often they gave you headaches. You were more of a figurehead than anything, but that didn’t mean you wanted to be in the dark about things.

Sometimes you had questions and you would have to [Message] one of the three to ask them about something in a report, though occasionally—mostly with Demiurge and Pandora’s Actor—they would insist on coming to your office to explain in detail. At the moment, that meant the Demiurge was present to answer the questions you had about his report.

His voice was as entrancing as ever and you had to almost constantly remind yourself to pay attention to what he was saying. You hated asking for clarification, but apparently as Momonga’s sister, such was expected of you. Or rather, the NPCs didn’t expect brilliance from you, but as you were the last Supreme Being, they were loyal and devoted. Demiurge exemplified this attitude and never missed a moment to praise you for whatever.

Despite being flustered and flattered by his attention, dark thoughts in your head prevented you from either leaping into his arms or just ordering him to your bed. Those thoughts were: 1) Demiurge would be devoted to _any_ of the Forty-One, 2) You were the only Supreme Being present so you didn’t have competition, 3) If you did have competition, you weren’t sure if Demiurge would choose you, 4) Demiurge literally only cared about you because that’s how he was made, and 5) You doubted you could face Ulbert again if you ordered his NPC to your bedchambers.

“Thank you, Demiurge,” you said as the demon finished his explanation. “I understand better. That was all.”

Demiurge bowed. “Call upon me whenever you wish, Lady Momocha. I will always answer.”

“Umu,” you murmured in reply, eyes averted from the object of your affection.

The sound of footsteps moved towards the door which opened and shut. Once he was gone, you sighed and let your shoulders droop. It was always difficult to be in the same room as Demiurge, especially when the two of you were practically left alone. Thankfully, Sebas was present and usually was, so you hadn’t given in to your lust just yet.

For another day, Demiurge was safe from being ordered into sexual service and you were safe from your own weakness. Now you just had to get through… forever, probably.

Great.

You closed the report and set it aside before standing up.

“Are you retiring for the night, my Lady?”

You nodded. “Yes, Sebas.”

“Very well,” said the butler. “I shall instruct Lady Albedo to come and file the reports on your desk.”

“Thank you, Sebas,” you replied, walking around the massive desk in your office.

The butler opened the door for you and you stepped out into the hallway, heading towards your quarters. You heard the door close behind you and you knew that Sebas was still with you. He was almost always by your side, although service in your quarters was handled by your own NPC, Coin, she whom you made based on the little sister you always wanted. Still, Sebas rarely failed to walk you back to your rooms and tonight was no exception.

“Ah, Lady Momocha.”

You tensed slightly at Demiurge’s wonderful voice. Glancing to your left where another hall intersected your current path, you saw him walking over to you.

“Demiurge,” you greeted, mostly with a steady voice.

The demon smiled— _‘oh my god, save me’_ —and asked, “May I escort you the rest of the way?”

Mentally screaming, you did your best to not let your panic show on your stupidly expressive face. You probably failed because his smile dimmed— _‘so unfair, don’t make that face’_ —and you blurted, “Yes. You may.”

He brightened and stepped forward, offering you his arm— _‘aaaaaahh’_ —which you took after a moment’s hesitation. Oh sweet _mercy_ , touching him was _glorious_. Your heart raced and you could already feel your face warming.

“I will see to her from here, Sebas.”

“My Lady?”

You looked over at the butler who was gazing at you in concern. Back around your first few days here, you had vehemently told Sebas to never leave you alone with either Demiurge or Albedo, although you never gave him clear reasons as to why. You nodded slightly.

“I-It’s okay, Sebas. Demiurge won’t let anything happen to me.”

The butler stared at the two of you for a long moment—mostly at Demiurge, really—before he nodded and bowed. “Then, goodnight, my Lady.”

“Goodnight, Sebas,” you managed to reply.

Demiurge smiled at you when you looked up at him. “Shall we, then?”

You both started walking.

All other thoughts not pertaining to your contact with him flew out of your mind. His scent, the feel of him, the sound of his shoes against the flooring, the warmth radiating off him… you were drowning and didn’t want to be saved.

( _‘Sexual harassment is a thing and a no-no, sexual harassment is a thing and a no-no—don’t you ignore me, me!’_ )

Somehow, the length from where you parted with Sebas to your room seemed both too far and too near. Walking with Demiurge paradoxically made time slow and yet rush by. After what seemed like forever and yet also much too soon, you were in front of your doorway and he came to a stop.

“This is where I leave you,” he said softly, his voice tinged with something that almost sounded like regret.

“R-right,” you stuttered, and then mentally kicked yourself for stuttering. Reluctantly, you let go of his arm and took a step away before he caught your hand in his. “Demi—“

“Forgive me for taking this liberty.”

You froze in place as he bowed down and placed a gentle kiss on your fingers. That brief moment of contact—warmth given from _him_ —sent a flash of electricity down your spine and your face turned red as your heart leapt. For eternity, you focused on the touch of his lips against your being, wishing that the moment would never end, that you would never forget, that he never had to stop and part from you.

Then, much too suddenly, the contact was broken and he straightened to meet your eyes. He smiled ruefully.

“I will understand if you demand my life in return.”

He’d do it, you knew he would. If you told him to die, he would take his own life on the spot. If you sent him to war, he would go. If you told him to never lay a hand on another human, he never would. Oh, he’d find other ways of inflicting pain on outsiders, but he would obey your orders as you laid them out. Demiurge would do anything for you.

But only because you were a Supreme Being.

( _’he doesn’t care about me for **me** ’_)

“I forgive you,” you choked, rushing to your door and through it. Before shutting it, you called, “Goodnight, Demiurge.”

Separated from him by the door, it wasn’t enough and you rushed into your bedroom, ignoring your NPC’s greetings and concerned questions, fleeing into your room where no one was allowed to follow you unless you let them. Closing the last door and cutting off the sound of Coin’s voice, you stood in your room and stifled your voice with the hand he didn’t kiss.

Falling slowly to your knees, you lifted your hand and stared at where he had kissed. It was like the warmth of him lingered there. You wanted to be wholly happy about that moment, you did.

But you couldn’t.

You just… couldn’t.

* * *

_Our doubts are traitors,_  
_and make us lose the good we oft might win,  
_ _by fearing to attempt._

_~William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure_


	5. Hand Kiss (Izuku Midoriya_BnHA_MHA)

“Gnarly scars!”

Your sudden comment startles not only Izuku, who, in minding his own business, has just descended the stairs, but also yourself for saying the word ‘gnarly’ and also for being so insensitive as to point out someone’s scars out of the blue like that.

Bringing a hand up to your face, you mutter shamefully, “I was not raised to be this way, oh my god.” Abruptly, you lowered your hand and apologized. “Sorry about that, Midoriya-kun. I shouldn’t have said something like that aloud.”

The green-haired boy was already red-faced and determinedly not looking at you. Seeing him reacting that way reminded you of the last time you interacted with him, and you felt your face heat up even as he slightly flailed his hands while stammering nervously.

“I-It’s okay. I know my s-scars are pretty obvious. Uh, I haven’t s-seen you in a while. Not up close, I mean! Um, uh, s-so, h-how have you been?”

This encounter is so painfully awkward that you want nothing more than to run away.

However, despite mentally screaming how this whole situation is completely unfair and the universe can go suck a lemon, you manage to stay almost outwardly calm. You squeak, “ _Fine._ ”

You can _feel_ you face slowly reddening. Coughing slightly to clear your throat, you try again. “I’ve been okay. I, uh, saw you during the Sports Festival. Like, wow, I had no idea you were that strong!”

He laughed uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. “Y-yeah, who knew, right?”

Embarrassed silence fell in the stairwell, so thick you thought you could reach out and stab it for daring to exist in your vicinity. This is why you shouldn’t date people who live in the same building as you! _Not_ that you ever dated Izuku, of course.

You just, you know, _kissed him_. Not on the lips, but still, you put your lips on him without his consent, and wow, you are a _terrible person_.

“I’M SORRY!”

You can practically hear Izuku flinch as you yell out of nowhere and bow to him, your hair dangling down. You apologized to the boy two years younger than you. 

“I shouldn’t have done what I did, at least, not without your permission. I apologize, Midoriya-kun. I hope that we can still be cordial towards each other.”

He stuttered incoherently for several seconds before taking a deep breath. A moment passed, and then you felt a hand on your shoulder. Taking that as permission to look up, you saw Izuku leaning towards you.

“I…” His blush, which had temporarily receded, returned, dusting his face with a slight flush. “I’m not _mad_ or anything, just… confused.” 

The eyes! They pierce your sinful soul!

“What… _why_ did you kiss me?”

You feel your heart stutter to a stop for a moment, and then you remember how to breathe again (and kind of wish you didn’t). Swallowing hard, you straightened and tugged slightly at your clothes as you tried to figure out your _stupid feelings that landed you in this mess_. A long moment passes, but when you glance at him, he’s still earnestly waiting for your answer.

You can’t take it anymore! This silence, this awkwardness…! Better to bite the freaking bullet and make it all end!

“I like you.”

He blinked. “Uh…” You saw as his whole face suddenly turned dark red. “Huh?!”

Cornered, you burst out, “I like you! You, with your stupid smile and strong spirit, okay?! I didn’t _mean to_ , hell, I didn’t even _notice_ until _after_ I stole that—that—you know!” Unable to say it aloud, you defaulted to ‘you know’. You shook your head, struck silent by a lack of sufficient words, and made to push past him so you could run upstairs and hide in your apartment forever, but he grabbed your hand and stopped your ascension, forcing you to look back at him. You opened your mouth to yell at him to _let go_ and—

And the world shrunk down to the place he just kissed, leaving a spot of warmth on the back of your hand.

( _he’d been thinking about her, wanting to see her, wanting to talk to her, and he couldn’t just let her leave with_ that look _on her face, not when he just wants her smile again like she did last time_ )

He grinned, still holding your hand, and said, “Now we’re even.”

The mirth slipped away from his expression, though, as he continued staring up at you. He seemed to be thinking about something, and at last he moved, coming up the steps to stand just in front of you. He still had to look up at you from his position since you had the high ground, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“(Last Name)-chan, I… since last time, I’ve been thinking about you a lot.” His eyes drifted down to where he was holding your hand. “But I’ve been thinking about my future a lot, too. See, even if I did something about my apparent feelings and explored them, maybe even found out of I really liked you or not… I don’t think I’d have much time for you, you know? I’m going to U.A., and I’m learning a lot.” He laughed slightly. “I’m just so busy learning as much as I can about being a hero. If it’s like this now, then what’s it going to be like when I’m an actual hero?” His eyes went back up to your face. “You’re a civilian, aren’t you?”

You nodded slowly, and he went on, eyes drifting back down to where he still had your hand captive. “I don’t… I don’t know what it’s like for pro-heroes to have civilian s-s-spouses—“he flushed again at the word”—but I imagine it must be a hard life, knowing that your spouse is going out and potentially risking their lives while doing their jobs. I, I wouldn’t want to put you through that.”

You can’t stop the giggle that escapes you. When he looks at you in confusion, you manage to speak through your strained laughter. “W-we’re not even dating and you’re talking about us being m- _married._ ”

He turned bright red again and flailed his free hand. “I, I don’t mean to assume! It’s just, an example! Yes, an example!” Groaning slightly, he ran a hand over his face. “I’m screwing this all up, aren’t I.”

Letting your giggles taper off, you flipped your hand so that you were grasping his. “Midoriya-kun.”

You waited until he gathered the courage to meet your eyes again. Grinning widely, you informed him of something you overheard once.

“You know, Midoriya-kun, you can be very happy with someone you’re not going to spend forever with.”

He stammered, “W-well, I suppose, but…” Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, he managed to center himself and speak calmly and with conviction.

“If I’m going to love someone, I want to do it right.”

_Oh,_ whatever girl snagged him for good had better know how lucky she was.

You wavered for a moment, torn between courage and hesitation, but then you decided you’d rather risk crying over a carton of ice cream in the future rather than going back to your room today to call yourself a coward while facing a future of tormented ‘what if’s’.

Resolving yourself, you brought up your other hand to clasp his between yours. “Midoriya-kun, I like you. I really think I do.” You managed to smile. “So, even if it’s difficult, and even if I don’t get to see you a lot… will you please give us a try?”

He gazed back at you with his green eyes, thoughts no doubt going a mile a minute—or perhaps short-circuiting, even—and his hand twitched in your grip.

At last, after an eternity, he spoke.

* * *

**She wasnt exactly sure when it happened. Or even when it started. All she knew for sure was that right here and now, she was falling hard and she could only pray that he was feeling the same way.**

**~Nicholas Sparks, Safe Haven**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I really did just do that.
> 
> I left you hanging. >:D


End file.
